In‐ and Out‐of‐Cavity Interactions by Modulating the Size of Ruthenium Metallarectangles

Abstract

AbstractCationic (arene)ruthenium‐based tetranuclear complexes of the general formula [Ru4(η6‐p‐cymene)4(μ‐N∩N)2(μ‐OO∩OO)2]4+ were obtained from the dinuclear (arene)ruthenium complexes [Ru2(η6‐p‐cymene)2(μ‐OO∩OO)2Cl2] (p‐cymene=1‐methyl‐4‐(1‐methylethyl)benzene, OO∩OO=5,8‐dihydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinonato(2−), 9,10‐dihydroxy‐1,4‐anthraquinonato(2−), or 6,11‐dihydroxynaphthacene‐5,12‐dionato(2−)) by reaction with pyrazine or bipyridine linkers (N∩N=pyrazine, 4,4′‐bipyridine, 4,4′‐[(1E)‐ethene‐1,2‐diyl]bis[pyridine]) in the presence of silver trifluoromethanesulfonate (CF3SO3Ag) (Scheme). All complexes 4–12 were isolated in good yield as CF3SO$\rm{{_{3}^{-}}}$ salts, and characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy. The host–guest properties of the metallarectangles incorporating 4,4′‐bipyridine and (4,4′‐[(1E)‐ethene‐1,2‐diyl]bis[pyridine] linkers were studied in solution by means of multiple NMR experiments (1D, ROESY, and DOSY). The largest metallarectangles 10–12 incorporating (4,4′‐[(1E)‐ethene‐1,2‐diyl]bis[pyridine] linkers are able to host an anthracene, pyrene, perylene, or coronene molecule in their cavity, while the medium‐size metallarectangles 7–9 incorporating 4,4′‐bipyridine linkers are only able to encapsulate anthracene. However, out‐of‐cavity interactions are observed between these 4,4′‐bipyridine‐containing rectangles and pyrene, perylene, or coronene. In contrast, the small pyrazine‐containing metallarectangles 4–6 show no interaction in solution with this series of planar aromatic molecules.